Research & Planning

DA & TA

DA & TA
Data Access & Technical Assistance Service

Travis County Poverty Brief

Travis County Poverty Brief

Our Role

The Research & Planning Division works within the Department, County, and the community to find solutions to complex human service issues. The four overarching work areas of R&P include:

1. Informing our Community:

We support informed decision making by creating access to data and promoting quality data standards through:

• Collecting, analyzing, and providing data
• Writing and presenting reports and research
• Conducting primary, secondary and best practices research
• Legislative and policy analysis
• GIS mapping

Read the Division’s latest reports.

2. Finding Solutions:

We support group processes that improve productivity and encourage collaborative problem solving and informed decision making through:

• Planning, supporting, and participating in Department, County, and community collaborative group processes
• Designing and facilitation of meetings and retreats
• Developing and conducting workshops and trainings

The Research & Planning Division is involved in numerous community and department planning initiatives that include:

• Aging services
• Austin/Travis County Community Health Plan
• Children’s Mental Health Plan
• Austin/Travis County Success by 6 Coalition
• Family Pathways
• Food policy
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Alliance of Central Texas (IDDACT)
• Immigration Services
• One Voice Central Texas
• Substance Use Disorder Community Planning
• Travis County Family Violence Task Force
• Workforce Development master plan
• Youth Community Planning

3. Ensuring Effectiveness:

We promote effective and transparent allocation of Travis County resources through planning, evaluation, and process improvement by:

• Promoting and implementing performance measurement and evaluation processes and tools
• Providing program- and performance-related technical assistance
• Developing management and measurement tools
• Designing and conducting surveys and focus groups

View the annual performance report of HHS Social service investments.

4. Social Service Investments:

We coordinate, plan, and implement social service investments that are strategic, targeted, and responsive to community needs through:

• Assessing and scoping department issue area investment portfolios
• Implementing procurement processes for community investments
• Evaluating proposals and negotiating contracts
• Overseeing programmatic and performance contract management

Social Service Investment Issue Areas include:

• Access to Basic Supports
• Behavioral Health
• Child & Youth Development
• Housing Continuum
• Planning & Evaluation
• Public Health
• Safety Intervention Services
• Supportive Services for Community Living
• Workforce Development

Learn more about the HHS social service investment strategy.